A word from our Producer and Director...
I'd like to start by thanking you for taking the time to look through this web site that we have made especially for you. We are Shakespeare Canada and our goal, as we've been saying since we started touring schools, is to bring back fun and educational live theatre to our schools.
Having a daughter myself, I know full well the feeling a child gets when he or she finally understands what they didn't just a little while ago.
I believe that is what we do. We help you, help kids understand what is being taught to them. Most kids don't want to have anything to do with Shakespeare or his "boring" plays. I myself find it hard to sit through hours of old English being hurled at me in the form of verse. What we offer is a chance for kids to "get" what Shakespeare is all about, by adapting his classic stories to modern English (now that I can sit through).
We've been told time and time again by teachers and students alike, how helpful our versions of the plays are. This is why we do what we do.
If you are willing to take a chance on us you will discover what over 700 schools already have; that the rewards are worth the cost. You will find it much easier to discuss Shakespeare and his plays and you will have much more willing participants in your discussions because they finally "get" it.
We have the proof and we'd love to show it to you. Our recommendation letters are always at your disposal and other references are also available. Students have even written us letters thanking us for helping them better understand the sometimes complicated Old English language.
We are professional, punctual and our set-up and tear-down is always done efficiently with minimal assistance from school staff. We try not to disrupt your daily routine.
I hope you will consider bringing our company to your school this year. Have a great year.
Ace Lopes
Executive Producer
Shakespeare Canada
Having a daughter myself, I know full well the feeling a child gets when he or she finally understands what they didn't just a little while ago.
I believe that is what we do. We help you, help kids understand what is being taught to them. Most kids don't want to have anything to do with Shakespeare or his "boring" plays. I myself find it hard to sit through hours of old English being hurled at me in the form of verse. What we offer is a chance for kids to "get" what Shakespeare is all about, by adapting his classic stories to modern English (now that I can sit through).
We've been told time and time again by teachers and students alike, how helpful our versions of the plays are. This is why we do what we do.
If you are willing to take a chance on us you will discover what over 700 schools already have; that the rewards are worth the cost. You will find it much easier to discuss Shakespeare and his plays and you will have much more willing participants in your discussions because they finally "get" it.
We have the proof and we'd love to show it to you. Our recommendation letters are always at your disposal and other references are also available. Students have even written us letters thanking us for helping them better understand the sometimes complicated Old English language.
We are professional, punctual and our set-up and tear-down is always done efficiently with minimal assistance from school staff. We try not to disrupt your daily routine.
I hope you will consider bringing our company to your school this year. Have a great year.
Ace Lopes
Executive Producer
Shakespeare Canada
As a student studying Shakespeare in High School I thought, what is this? How is this relevant? Why can't they just speak English? The short and the long of it was that I hated it. When I finally understood Shakespeare it opened a whole new world of stories and imagination. I've seen that Shakespeare does have a place in today's world, being that his stories and themes are just so human.
Every time I hear a student say, "My family is like the Montagues and the Capulets," or "I feel just like Hermia," it shows me that this work has purpose.
One of the major advantages schools that hire us have, is access to our "Shakespeare Made Easy Workshops". As the adaptor and director of the pieces, I have been studying the plays for nearly a year prior to ever stepping foot in the door of the school. The workshops are an excellent opportunity for the students to learn about the plays from not only an academic point of view but also from the eyes of a performer.
As I tell the students; it's important to keep in mind that these plays were not meant to be read but to be performed and the insight that they can pick up from such a perspective, can certainly help in understanding key aspects of the play. By giving the students a clear and full view of the characters we show them not only that Shakespeare is a great writer, but as in life, the play's themes and characters are not only black or white.
For instance, looking at Tybalt's motives in "Romeo and Juliet", seeing that perhaps he is not the villain that he has been made out to be in the past. When they see that he is no more than an angry teenager, they can relate to him a lot more than as a bloodthirsty villain.
These discoveries are great for the students and myself to share together and they enhance not only the academic understanding of the play, but enhance the overall viewing as well.
There are also many young students who wish to pursue a career in acting. For me, it is an honor and a privilege to speak to them about this profession and to answer any questions they might have about breaking into or learning more about this field.
As a seasoned actor I try to offer them some hints of how to get started and where they should go for school. It's also a pleasure to give them the other side, the director's side, and what I am looking for when I'm hiring actors.
Normally when I step in the class I am viewed as "just another guest" but by the end they are asking questions and looking forward to seeing the play. Seeing that change is extremely satisfying.
Aaron George
Director
Shakespeare Canada
Every time I hear a student say, "My family is like the Montagues and the Capulets," or "I feel just like Hermia," it shows me that this work has purpose.
One of the major advantages schools that hire us have, is access to our "Shakespeare Made Easy Workshops". As the adaptor and director of the pieces, I have been studying the plays for nearly a year prior to ever stepping foot in the door of the school. The workshops are an excellent opportunity for the students to learn about the plays from not only an academic point of view but also from the eyes of a performer.
As I tell the students; it's important to keep in mind that these plays were not meant to be read but to be performed and the insight that they can pick up from such a perspective, can certainly help in understanding key aspects of the play. By giving the students a clear and full view of the characters we show them not only that Shakespeare is a great writer, but as in life, the play's themes and characters are not only black or white.
For instance, looking at Tybalt's motives in "Romeo and Juliet", seeing that perhaps he is not the villain that he has been made out to be in the past. When they see that he is no more than an angry teenager, they can relate to him a lot more than as a bloodthirsty villain.
These discoveries are great for the students and myself to share together and they enhance not only the academic understanding of the play, but enhance the overall viewing as well.
There are also many young students who wish to pursue a career in acting. For me, it is an honor and a privilege to speak to them about this profession and to answer any questions they might have about breaking into or learning more about this field.
As a seasoned actor I try to offer them some hints of how to get started and where they should go for school. It's also a pleasure to give them the other side, the director's side, and what I am looking for when I'm hiring actors.
Normally when I step in the class I am viewed as "just another guest" but by the end they are asking questions and looking forward to seeing the play. Seeing that change is extremely satisfying.
Aaron George
Director
Shakespeare Canada